Enchanted
by fuuko no miko
Summary: What happens when two assasins get stuck on an island with a spellbinder? Find out.
1. Stranded

**ENCHANTED**

**Chapter 1**

**Stranded**

**by [Fuuko no Miko][1]**

**May 14, 2000**

Question: What does one get from spending too much time in [Joker's House of Cards][2]?

Answer: This fanfic ^_~!

My apologies if it's a little OOC for some people here. I'm not too familiar with Joker-san's chara other than what he shows at the House of Cards. This is fanfic, so forgive me and my possible inconsistencies *_*.

No offense to Kurei-Neon fans. I did this as more of a teaser than anything else.

*******

"Are you sure you know where we're going?" Neon demanded as she followed the tall, heavily-armored Uruha assassin through a pathless thicket. She shoved a huge clump of tree branches barricading her way. The twigs and branches had been unyielding and they've already caused innumerable scratches on her ivory skin. Neon cursed as the hem of her uniform got caught in a stubborn little bush and tried in vain to pull it out without ripping it any further.

"Trust me, Neon-han." assured her fellow Uruha in his heavy kansai accent. He tipped his headgear slightly to get a better view of the forest before him. Which unfortunately looked the same in all directions. All gigantic trees looming over them, with vines hanging like thick ropes and all sorts of unrecognizable flora covering anything that might have resembled a pathway. Much as Joker wanted to believe what he said, he couldn't convince himself. Much less a very angry Neon.

"That's what you said two hours ago." accused the red-haired assassin as she finally gave up on her dress and just tore the edge. "I told you we should've taken the Western area...but nooooo...you had to insist a shortcut." She shoved him out of the way and tried to get a view of anything possibly ahead. "Like this is anything but short."

Joker chose to keep his trap shut. Arguing with Neon would be pointless. She was as stubborn as they come. _I should've just left her back at the mansion_, he sighed inwardly. But Kurei's orders were for the two of them to finish a very important task. Joker had insisted he could do it by himself, yet his Master was more insistent. Not that Neon was a pain in the behind. She was good at what she does. And she had been a great help to their task. It was just during scenarios like this that he knew he could do without her.

They were heading home from the mission Kurei had sent them on. They had taken a speedboat then. They were forced to change direction when a storm loomed ahead. It was during this change of ways when they had begun debating on which direction to take.

"Where do you think you're headed off to?" Neon had asked him earlier.

"Eastward." he answered confidently, manuevering the steering wheel to his chosen direction.

"The way home is West." she said.

"Neon-han, I know what I am doing. The way home is East. We'd take West if we were on the same course a while ago. But we changed because of the weather. So now it's East." he explained confidently.

"If we took the earlier path it would be East. We turned around, so I say we go West." she reasoned.

"We did not turn around." Joker argued. "We turned a little left. I should know. I'm driving this thing. Besides, East is a shorter way."

"West."

"East."

They went about like that for over half an hour before Joker finally turned the boat and went his way, much to Neon's dismay. By that time, the storm had also taken a reroute and they almost ran into it. The large waves violently rocked their motorboat and Joker decided to dock on one of the smaller islands they found lest they get swept and crash against the humungous rocks that loomed among the island shores. By that time, the tail of the incoming storm had made its way to the island and they had rushed to the forest for cover when the downpour began.

That was two hours ago. Now they find themselves in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a forest as thick as the Amazon, with trees as tall as buildings and whose wide branches shielded any view of the sky. The thunderstorm had stopped an hour ago. They remained relatively dry because of the shield the trees had given. They had debated on whether to stay put or walk on, with Neon insisting on staying and Joker persisted on going. The latter had won.

"Whew," Joker said. He had not wanted to stay in one particular place, as he felt unsafe with the surrounding territory. He had wanted to go looking for any possible protective shelter, like a cave or better yet, a civilized dwelling. Based on the look of things now, it appeared there wasn't any safe area at all. They had been walking seemingly forever, and not a trace of any human endeavor at all could they find.

"I should've thought of this sooner." Neon said, drawing her flute. "Cover your ears." she instructed her companion who complied. She began playing the tune to activate her Fukyo Waon. The power from her madugou caused the covered earth before her to rumble, and in no time, an explosion occured, blowing all the thorned bushes in all directions and clearing the path.

A sideward smile appeared on Joker's lips, "Very clever, Neon-han." he clapped his hands in approval. "Very resourceful indeed."

"Hmph." Neon ignored him and went on her way. This time she led, and Joker followed. They had been walking for less than five minutes when they came upon what seemed to be a clearing.

"Yes!" Neon exclaimed, running towards a small, clear lake that lay in the middle of an open-aired area. This part of the forest had a view of the ominous-looking sky. The clouds were dark, gray and heavy, seemingly filled with rain that was threatening to fall any minute. Neon did not seem to care though, as she rushed to fill her dry throat with the fresh water before her. Joker scanned the area and found a cave not too far away. He went over to check it out while his fellow Uruha took her fill. He returned a few minutes later.

"There's a cave nearby." he told her. "It looks safe, and its dry. We can stay there until this storm lets up."

Neon agreed. She let Joker take his turn at drinking before they trekked the way to the said cave. It was roomy and dry. A few stalactites hung over the inside, and moss covered the walls. Otherwise, it was clean and it appeared relatively harmless. Neon took a seat on one of the rocks, removing her boots and removing the pebbles from them. She stretched and leaned on the cave wall. Joker rested on a rock near the cave entrance. He removed his headgear and the upper part of his armour.

"What do you think you're doing?" Neon asked stiffly. Her body ached from all that walking, and she felt her lids getting heavy from exhaustion.

"Getting comfortable." Joker replied, as he took the rest of his armour off, revealing a shirt and tights underneath. "You're not conscious, are you?" a naughty smile appeared on his lips. "Well I do know how irresistable...owww!!!" he touched his forehead that had been pelted with a rock.

"Airhead." she accused, trying to fight off the drowsiness coming upon her unsuccessfully. She was about to lay on the floor to get some shut eye when he held her arm. "What now?" she grumbled.

"It's not too comfortable sleeping on a cold, stone floor." he reasoned. Joker took his long cape and spread it on the floor of the cave as a blanket.

A smirk appeared on Neon's lips. "Sometimes you surprise me, Joker."

"Being a gentleman is just one of my numerous, unrecognized attributes." he beamed proudly. But Neon could no longer retort as exhaustion took over her being. She curled into a semi-fetal position and closed her eyes, falling into a light slumber.

Joker watched as the downpour began, falling mercilessly like a waterfall from the sky. _At this rate, we'll probably get home tomorrow_ he thought. Though he didn't fancy spending the rest of the night in a dark, unfurnished cave with Neon and her sharp tongue, there seemed to be little choice. He was exhausted as well and there was hardly, if any, chance that there would be any more suitable dwelling that the cave they were in. He just hoped that his companion would sleep it off until daybreak. The moment she wakes up she'll be bound to start complaining about food. He leaned back and sighed. He was aware he shouldn't fall asleep, lest some wild animals come along and decided the two of them would make a suitable rainy day feast. But his eyes were getting heavy as well, and he couldn't help himself.

"Oiya, hey there...are you alright?"

Joker slowly opened his eyes. His immediate reflex was to grab his Taishaku Kaiten, aiming it at the one before him whose image was now clearly coming into view. It was a tiny old woman, assumingly no bigger nor older than Genjuroh. But this benign appearance did cause him to let his guard down, as he knew that one should never take things at face value.

The old woman backed slightly away seeing the weapon aimed at her, a look of fear registered on her face. Feeling a little bit guilty, Joker pulled back his weapon.

"My apologies, Madame." he said, scrutinizing the old woman fully behind his bangs. "I was a little surprised."

The old woman smiled, bowing her head. "I didn't mean to scare you. Gomen." She was around 60, he guessed. Petite and fine-boned with long, silky, white hair that was tied in a knot behind her head. She was dressed in a lovely blue kimono with white cherry blossoms decorating it. From her face one could tell she was a beauty in her youth. He wondered what a finely-dressed old lady was doing in a creepy jungle like this one?

"What's all the ruckus about?" a newly-awakened Neon spoke up, rubbing her eyes. "Joker, how dare you assault a defenseless little woman!" she accused.

"It's nothing." the old lady defended, smiling. "I just shocked your husband a little I guess..."

"Husband!!!! Why I..." Neon exclaimed, now fully aroused.

"What would you you be doing in a place like this, Madame?" Joker asked, interrupting Neon's protest.

"I live here." the elderly woman spoke, causing the two Uruha assassins eyes to pop out.

"In this....jungle?" Neon asked.

"Not here...." the woman laughed, she motioned to a wooded area about a stone's throw from where they were. "Over there. My house is just beyond those trees."

Joker and Neon exchanged suspicious glances, which did not escape the old woman's eye.

"I know you may think its ludicrous. But please, come with me and see for yourselves." she invited. "Follow me."

They followed the old woman who went through a clump of tall bushes. They walked slowly, their eyes taking note of the way they were going. A man-made stone path was revealed and it led the way to another clearing. This one was bigger than where they had come from. It was an open field where a moderate-sized, old-fashioned house stood in the middle. A little shrine was at the left and a small pond was at the right. The house was lighted and smoke was coming from the back. The air smelled wonderfully of a hot soup brewing.

"Would you kids like to join me for dinner?" she asked. "I'm afraid I don't have much to offer, but I do make some good sakura tea."

Neon looked at her companion, "May we be excused for a little while, Madame?" she politely asked permission, to which the old woman nodded.

"I don't trust her, Neon-han." Joker vocalized his thoughts.

"Neither do I." Neon agreed. "But then...what do we have to lose?" she reasoned. "If we take her offer, we could get some decent shelter for the night, and maybe something to eat too."

"If she turns out to be some kind of whacko..."

"Then we'll send her to Kingdom Come." Neon said finally. She then turned back to the old woman, "Yes...thank you very much for your offer. We'd be honored to join you for dinner."

"Then follow me."

They walked over to the old-fashioned house which was bigger close up. The old woman pushed the door to let them in. A young girl, around ten years of age greeted them and ushered them to the house. It was an antique house with the furniture dating back to a much older era. It was like a small museum rather than a house in the middle of nowhere. The two Uruha assassins were shown to the guest quarters by the young girl who had introduced herself as Hiroshi. It was a large room beautifully furnished with the same kind of antiques the rest of the house seemed to be decorated with. A king-sized bed was at the middle of the room and on top of it lay towels, bathrobes and neatly-folded kimonos for changing.

"Would you like some hot water for bathing, Neon-sama?" Hiroshi asked.

"Oh I would, thank you." Neon said. The young girl bowed before leaving the room. Joker set his armor aside and plopped lazily on the bed, resting his head on folded arms and whistling a tune. "Oi, get off my bed you moron."

"What do you mean your bed?" Joker querried. "This is our bed."

"Our bed?" Neon's eyebrows shot up in question, "I wouldn't share a bed with you in a second lifetime...or even a third. Now get off." she tried in vain to push Joker off his lazy recline unsuccessfully.

"Neon-han, it's rather obvious we were meant to be in this room together...I mean, little Hiroshi didn't show me to another place to stay in, did she now?" he asked as-a-matter-of-factly, though this did not prevent a smile from wandering to his lips. "Besides, aren't you flattered to be sharing a room with an incredible specimen of manhood such as my...umphhhh!" he muttered as Neon tried to cut the air to his lungs by stuffing his face with one of the pillows.

"Here is your hot water, Neon-sama." Hiroshi announced after knocking gently, making Neon withdraw from her murder attempt of her arrogant companion. Joker was nearly blue and choking when she got off him, but Hiroshi thankfully didn't notice. When the young girl left, Neon picked up the robe, towels and soap on the bed and headed off to the bathroom located at the end of the hallway.

"I'm giving you ten minutes to find a room for yourself." Neon announced. "Or else..."

"I'm giving you ten minutes to find a room for yourself or else..." Joker mimicked in Neon's low, dangerous tone as his fellow Uruha shot darts at him with a gaze. He didn't move an inch from his position as she proceeded to take a warm bath.

Half an hour later, the old woman called for dinner. Neon entered the dining room wearing the dark red, silk kimono provided to her by Hiroshi. The dress was decorated with an intricately designed floral pattern in gold. Her hair was tied in a knot at the back of her head. Under the pale yellow light given off by the lamp, her skin glowed a faint pink and she smelled of fresh spring blossoms. The red of the dress and her hair glowed like fire in the night.

"You look quite like the fire bird, the Phoenix." complimented the old lady, to which Hiroshi agreed.

_Phoenix. Fire Bird. Like Kurei-sama's flame_...only of a different color, Neon thought as she thanked the two hostesses for their generosity.

"You look very fetching, Neon-han." Joker commented from behind her. And he was telling the truth. While he always regarded her as a fellow assassin, Joker acknowledged the fact that Neon was a beautiful woman. Now dressed immaculately in a kimono that made her look fragile, vulnerable, almost...untouchable he had to admit she took the breath out of him.

Neon was a little surprised out of the compliment he had given her, as she was used to hearing him compliment mostly himself. And subconsciously, she found herself blushing at his remark. "Thank you."

Joker himself wasn't quite the man she knew. He had also been given a kimono, this one in velvety black. He had taken his braids off to dry his hair, and it hung loosely on his shoulders, falling like a black cascade of waterfall on his back. His fine bangs still covered his eyes and his fanged smile showed through. Neon found herself staring at him despite herself.

"Let's have dinner, shall we?" the old woman spoke at last, breaking the strange silence. The two Uruhas took opposite seats while Hiroshi and the old woman sat across each other at the table ends. Hiroshi poured sakura tea in their cups while the old lady passed around the steaming hot soba for everyone's enjoyment. The two guests ate in silence as their elderly hostess introduced herself and spoke of her secluded dwellings.

"I am Akamatsu Yukiko." she introduced, "You both know Hiroshi here," she motioned to the young girl. "She is my adopted granddaughter. An orphan. Her parents died in an accident when she was just an infant."

Yukiko had lived all her life on this uncharted island. She had been born and raised in this old house. She had been living alone for the past 40 years after the rest of her family died in an epidemic. She goes to town every once a week to buy supplies. Leaving the house was out of the question since it had been in the family for centuries, surviving wars, disasters and man-made holocausts. Her nearest neighbor was a good two miles away, and the town she spoke of was five more miles from there.

"Don't you ever get scared here, Yukiko-sama?" Neon asked curiously. She wondered how anybody could last that long with hardly any company, much less protection.

"There is nothing to fear." she smiled mysteriously, "The spirits of my ancestors watch over me all the time."

Her facial expression and manner of speaking caused Joker's hairs to stand on end. _This is getting creepy_, he thought. _It's like a scene on one of those cheap horror flicks Mokouren loves to watch so much_. He shuddered, and recieved a curious glance from Neon who sat opposite him. "I'm a little cold." he offered lamely which Neon obviously did not accept.

"As we all are." Yukiko said, "I'm afraid I can't stay up and tell you any more stories about this household much as I'd love to," she gently rose up from her sitting position. "I'm a little bit tired." she smiled at the two guests, "Perhaps tomorrow we can continue. I would like to know more about you two. for now, I bid you good night. Sleep well." she bowed and turned about after they had bid her the same. Hiroshi set about cleaning up the table. Neon offered to help but the young girl refused.

"You are a guest, Neon-sama." Hiroshi reasoned, "Please, I can do this. It is but a simple task. You and Joker-sama may take your rest now. It has been a tiring day for both of you."

The two simply complied and left after wishing Hiroshi a good night. Neon proceeded to her quarters and Joker followed her, silently closing the door behind him.

"Didn't I tell you I am NOT going to share a bed with you?" Neon asked irritably. "Either you find a bed of your own or you spend the night on the floor."

Joker smiled, his fangs showing, "Oh come on now Neon-han. It isn't very doting of you to let your 'husband' sleep on the cold floor while you doze off comfortably on your more-than-adequately-sized bed?"

Whomp! A pair of pillows found their target on Joker's face. "In your dreams," Neon snarled, "Not now, not ever."

Neon pulled back the covers and snugged comfortably in between the immaculate white sheets. She pulled the pins off her hair, spreading the silken strands on the pillow like a red tide. She almost bounced off when Joker plopped beside her.

"Joker!!!!"

"Shhhh...." the fanged Uruha put a finger to her lips. He looked around before speaking in a hushed voice. "We don't want to wake up the entire household, Neon-han." And when the latter realized that there was another reason for Joker acting as such, she propped herself up on her elbows.

"This place gives me the creeps." Neon admitted anxiously "It's too...strange. I mean, an old lady and a little girl alone in the middle of nowhere with a house filled with a fortune in antiques and no one to protect them." she shrugged, "It sounds like a plot on one of those dumb B movies with plastered play-doh effects to pass off as monsters."

"You're not afraid of a few zombies are you?" Joker asked, "We've faced much stronger adversaries than that."

"Yeah well, I don't think the Fukyo Waon or even your Taihatsu Kaiten will do us any good if we're fighting supernatural forces." she retorted.

A moment of silence followed as neither of them knew what to say. The dark clouds had faded, giving way to the full moon whose bright beams entered the bedroom window, illuminating the otherwise dark surroundings. There even appeared a handful of stars. There was hardly any trace of the storm that has come earlier.

Joker stood up from the bed and proceeded to the other side of the room. He pulled out a clean mattress from one of the closet doors and laid it on the floor. He had found this one in the closet earlier while waiting for Neon to finish using the bathroom. He spread clean sheets over it and slid in comfortably. It wasn't as soft as the king-sized bed but it was certainly better than the hard wooden floor. He turned his back to Neon and took his madougu that was leaningon the wall. He laid it next to him in bed.

"Joker...."

"There's no sense in borrowing trouble, Neon-han." he spoke. "I think we should be thankful for Yukiko-han's generosity. It's probably just coincidental that she lives in such a place. If there is no sign of trouble, then let's not look for one." he paused, turning his head to Neon. "If there is something that's more than meets the eye here, we'll be ready for it." a glint appeared in his eye. He smiled. "I'm not staying here for any other perverted reason, Neon-han. I just think it would be safer for us Uruha to stick together." He then turned his back again. "You would have no worry with me. I just want to be here in case anything happens....and besides..." he laughed, "You're not my type."

Through his drowsy state, Joker could hear Neon calling him all the synonyms for arrogant in her multilingual vocabulary. He merely snickered through it all. He drew his madougu closer, closed his eyes and left off for dreamland. Neon followed suit within five minutes. The room lay perfectly silently still for about a few hours. The antique clock in the living room then announced that it was two in the morning.

The door of the guest quarters then quitely opened.

"Are you ready, Hiro-chan?"

The little girl nodded.

"Then it is time."

**[TO BE CONTINUED][3]**

**[BACK TO THE FANFIC SECTION][4]**

   [1]: mailto:bluhdy1@angelfire.com
   [2]: http://www.geocities.com/jokers_house_of_cards/
   [3]: jokerneon2.html
   [4]: fanfic.html



	2. Of Spells and Spirits

**ENCHANTED**

**Chapter 2**

**Of Spells and Spirits**

**May 17, 2000**

[by Fuuko no Miko][1]

**[CONTINUATION...][2]**

"How could you do this to me, Kanjiro? How?" she cried, clutching the madogus to her chest. The strong winds blew violently against her face. Her hair blew like wildfire against a backdrop of the dark horizon. The tears streaming down her face glistened as the air currents wiped them away.

"Midoriiii!!!"

The young woman turned about at the bearer of the voice. Seeing him, she took a step back, clutching the psychic devices even tighter to her. The sorrow on her face was replaced by one of anger.

"Stay away from me!" she screamed at him. "Leave me alone! You will not have them!"

A worried look was registered on the young man's handsome features. The girl, Midori was standing at the edge of a cliff, a very high one. The winds blew angrily as storm clouds gathered above, the deafening thunder and blinding lightning signalling the oncoming turbulence. At the bottom of the hundred feet height was a ravaging sea. The waves crashed loudly, angrily at the huge rocks below, as if echoing the anger now brewing in between the two beings then standing by the cliffside.

"Midori, get away from there! You might fall!" he called out to her, echoing his fears. He took a step forward while she took one back.

"What do you care?" she accused, "That I might destroy these precious devices of yours?"

"I care about you!" he yelled. "I don't want those devices anymore! It's you that I want....all my life!!!!"

"Don't lie to me...." she broke down, weeping. "I'm sick of hearing lies from you. No more!"

"Midori I love you!!!!" he cried out in desperation. "Don't do this!"

A smirk appeared on her lips, "Tell that to your master, the Oni." She smiled bitterly, "And say hello to Ayami for me." she took one more step back, coming closer to the cliff's edge.

"Goodbye, Officer Akamatsu." she declared at last, stressing the last two words. And at that moment, a loud thunderclap exploded, followed a streak of lightning, hitting the edge of the cliff and causing the earth beneath Midori's feet to crumble.

"Miiidoooorriiiii!!!!!" Kanjiro ran with all his might to reach the girl. But the once solid ground beneath her feet had given way and she fell, almost dramatically, like a rag doll towards the violent sea. Her long red hair was like a flame on a falling torch. Kanjiro watched helplessly as the woman he loved plunged to her premature death in the rumbling ocean floor. "Noooo....Midori...noooo...."

Joker jolted awake, breathing hard as he did. He felt a certain heaviness in his chest as he hyperventilated. _What the hell was that about,_ he thought as he tried to gain control of his breathing. He noted he was covered in sweat despite the cool breeze coming from the open window. He took a breath and managed to slow down his ragged breath and palpitating heart. _What a ridiculous nightmare_, he said to himself. _Like a scene from one of those crummy, mushy movies Neon and Mikoto frequented_. His hair stood on end. _Yikes_. Staying too long in a weird place like this was beginning to get to him.

He looked around and saw Neon sleeping soundly. He stood up and walked over to her bed. He sat next to her sleeping figure and took note of the face illuminated by the moonbeams coming from outside. Strangely, she had a striking similarity to the woman in his dreams. What was her name? Midori? Only that Midori was younger...and more domesticated-looking, he added, laughing inwardly. Neon-han, even if she had served as a maid in Kurei-sama's household looked anything but domesticated. She was a classy-looking member of the female species. If he didn't know better, she'd be more lady of the manor rather than a handmaid-in-waiting. He brushed a couple of strands of hair that fell on her face. He found himself looking at her, taking note of her beautiful face. The eyes that may now be closed, but when opened revealed an icy blue depth that often stared darts at him whenever he gave one of his smart-aleck remarks. The perky nose, the naturally-reddish lips. The rosy white skin that looked velvety to the touch. His gaze swept her being, and took in the gentle curves of her body. He admitted that Neon-han, his fellow Uruha is quite a woman. Physically gifted and even if she hardly showed it, emotionally warm and caring as well. She had a hard, icy cold surface, but beneath it was a soft-hearted, tender person. The person she was whenever it concerned Kurei-sama. One would have to blind, deaf and dumb not to realize how she had felt about their Master. She doted him like a mother. And yet the bitter head of the Uruha did not see her for that. He was still basking in his hatred for the outside world. As for him, Joker, he'd be greatly appreciative if a lady like that cared for him as Neon would for Kurei. He'd probably fall for her in an instant. He lied to her a while ago saying she wasn't his type. He didn't have a particular type for women if it comes right down to it. But he knew a good one if he saw one. And Neon-han was...

"What the hell are you doing here?" Neon asked drowsily. Joker had not realized she had awakened. He then noticed that he was sitting just a little too close for comfort. He moved away a little when she got up.

"What is it?" Neon asked, sensing that there was something troubling him.

"Nothing, Neon-han." he smiled, showing his fangs, "I just had a silly little nightmare, that's all." he got up and faced the window, looking at the backyard gardens.

"You and your wild imagination." she snapped, getting back to bed. "It's three in the morning, for crying out loud. Go back to sleep." she turned her back to him and returned to the dreamworld.

Joker spent a few more minutes looking out the back gardens, wondering why it looked a little misty out there. He shrugged, blaming his strange nightmare for seeing things. He returned to this mattress and went back to sleep.

Neon opened her eyes. She had not been deep in sleep as Joker had thought. In fact, she had been awake for nearly an hour when he came to her bed. A dream had come to her, rousing her from her slumbery depths and she was unable to fully sleep after that. She had dreamt that she was falling, falling fast from a hundred foot cliff and plunging to her oceanic death. There was a man, and he was running after her, while she was clutching a couple of madougus in her arm. She couldn't recall what they were saying to each other, except that she had been crying. Strange. Very strange indeed. Whats even stranger is that the man looked just like....

She looked over to the Uruha asssassin who slept across the room from her.

Very, very strange.

KA-BLAAAM!!!

Neon jerked upon hearing the loud explosion from outside. She got up and rushed to the window to see what it was. She saw black smoke coming from afar, and she heard loud noises, like clanging metal and the sound of men. Fighting as though it seems. She immediately took a robe and put it around her. She grabbed her flute and ran over to the mattress where Joker had been resting.

He wasn't there.

But the Taishaku Kaiten was.

Anxious on how Joker could leave without taking his elemental weapon with him, Neon grabbed the heavy object and pushed the door open. She ran towards the hallway and nearly bumped into a young woman she didn't recognize.

"Midori-san." the thin young girl clutched her arms. "You must not go out, the village is under attack."

"What?" Neon asked incredulously. She shoved the protesting girl aside and went to the front door. Outside there was a village that was never there before. Neon's eyes almost fell out of their sockets. The house she was in was surrounded by a village with several smaller houses. At the plaza square there were a few dead men sprawled on the ground, with katanas and kodachis buried in their abdomens. There were a handful more duking it out while women and children ran everywhere in the melee. A few houses were on fire and there was confusion and panic all over.

Neon, puzzled at the scene before her stood frozen by the door. A firm hand pulled her back to the house and closed the door.

"What the hell was that for?" she snarled, finding herself face to face with an old man she did not recognize at all. He was decked out in an old brown monk outfit. He did not seem to be pertrubed at all with the war scene before them.

"Midori-san, it is time to use your madugou." he said in a calm but commanding voice. He indicated the flute Neon was holding, "The village will be destroyed. Start the requiem now."

Neon pulled her hand away, "I am not Midori and I am not going to use my madugou. Where in blazes am I anyway? And who are you? Where's Yukiko-sama?"

"Please Midori-san." the young girl pleaded. "You are our only hope against the Oni."

"Oni?" Neon's eyebrows met. This was beginning to become more confusing by the minute. But seeing the pleading look in the yong girl and the old man's eyes, she was convinced. Whoever this oni was, he was destroying the village outside. And they just might attack the house. Neon opened the door at the front of the house and put the flute to her lips. She began playing the notes to her most destructive mode of power.

The soldiers ceased fighting upon hearing the beautiful music played by this equally beautiful creature. They stopped and stared at her, looking bewildered, mesmerized. In less than a minute the earth began to vibrate and in a matter of seconds, everything exploded, sending the enemy troops into oblivion. The clock counted a mere few minutes to end the battle that had begun hours ago.

Neon felt a little dizzy after playing full blast and she fell backward into the old man's hefty arms. He and the girl assisted her into the living room, laying her on the cot. Neon closed her eyes and took a breath. The young girl gave her something to drink while the old man fanned her.

"Excellent, Midori-san." the old monk congratulated her. "The oni will now think twice before raiding our village."

Neon could not voice out her innumerable questions. Why the heck was he calling her Midori? And who was he anyway? And the girl? Where was Yukiko-sama? And Hiroshi? What was that attack all about? And where in blazes did Joker go, leaving his madugou behind?

*******

"Your mission is to get me those madougu, Officer Akamatsu." the tall bearded man in his samurai armour instructed to the younger man before him. "Those weapons, if I am not mistaken, are the properties of the Hokage Clan. The one which we had wiped off the face of the planet a few years ago." He stood up and walked over to the window, looking over the courtyard, "The weapons of the Hokage are very, very powerful. We were not able to retrieve them during the attack in the village. It's been said that Ohka, the clan leader had them hidden in several parts of Japan so that we will not be able to get them." He turned to a map of Japan on his table and pointed to one of the few scattered, isolated islands on the coasts of Okinawa. "Our informants tell me that there are three weapons spotted in this area. I don't know what they are yet or what they can do. They are in the keeping of one monk and his ward, Sakimoto Midori. I want to you to bring them back to me."

A fanged smile appeared on the lips of Officer Akamatsu. "You can trust me, sir. The madugous will be yours in no time." An eyebrow raised behind the bangs that covered his eyes. "However, I wonder what's in it for me if I do get your precious madugou?"

The higher-ranking official laughed, shaking his head. "You are a sly one, Akamatsu. I like that." he spoke in a more serious note, "A promotion is very likely, my boy. Does becoming second-in-command to me, appeal to you?" The young officer nodded. "And of course, I may allow you and my precious Ayami to finally take your wedding vows." he eyed the youg man skeptically, "If that is alright."

"It would be more than alright, Oni-sama." Officer Akamatsu looked pleased. "I will do as I promise. The madugous will be yours as soon as possible." With that, the young man bowed and left his commanding officer.

Kanjiro Akamatsu packed his belongings and set sail to one of the uncharted islands of Japan to search for the Hokage's lost psychic devices. The island was small and he was sure to find a monk and his ward easily. He formed a plan while on the boat that was taking him to the island. It was at that moment when a storm cloud had appeared from the horizon and closed in. The waves violently rocked their wooden vessel. The wind blew angrily and the rain came in large shards, almost painfully on his skin. His boatman panicked and jumped ship. Kanjiro held on to the boat and rode the wave that brought him crashing upon the white sandy beaches of the desolate island. It was all he remembered before his consciousness lapsed.

Joker opened his eyes, seeing the ceiling of the house he stayed in. For some reason, his body hurt and his head throbbed. He could barely move. He was lying in the center of the bedroom he had shared with Neon, but the latter was nowhere to be found. He looked around. He was still dressed in the black kimono he had been given by Hiroshi but there was something different here. Something he just can't put his finger on. What was wrong?

"You're awake."

Neon stood at the doorway, dressed in a lovely blue kimono different from what she earlier wore. She was carrying a tray of tea and some noodles in a steaming bowl. She smiled shyly at him, bowed her head and entered, putting the tray down beside him.

Joker was open-mouthed, not knowing quite what to say. "Eeerrr....very thoughtful of you Neon-han. What's gotten into you today?"

She shot him a puzzled look, "Gomen? I do not know what you speak of, sir." she bowed her head again. "My name is Sakimoto Midori. And welcome to my humble abode."

It was his turn to cast a confused look at her. He couldn't get any words out of his mouth, couldn't shoot the questions he wanted to ask. He all of a sudden seemed tongue-tied.

"You must be tired from your ordeal." the girl who introduced herself as Midori spoke. "Have some warm tea...and some soup. It'll help you regain from your strength." she handed him the tea cup which he gratefully emptied. While Joker remembered he had eaten half a feast last night, he all of a sudden felt very hungry. He took the bowl she had offered him and emptied it in a number of minutes.

Neon laughed. "Do you want some more?" When he nodded, she stood up and turned about to get more food.

This was becoming very confusing.

"Is the spell working Grandmother?" Hiroshi asked, looking at the cauldron her grandmother was stirring. She could see through the water in the cauldron everything that was happening to Neon and Joker.

"So far, so good." Yukiko added a few more herbs to the mixture in the cauldron. "Joker-san is seeing Midori while Neon is seeing Kanjiro. Their personalities slightly overlap at present. But it will be over soon, once the spell is complete." she whispered a few incantations over the cauldron. She lit a number of incense and candles and put them around the cauldron.

Joker, still dazed from the sudden change of events, went to the backyard to contemplate what has been happening. He wondered why the place had suddenly turned all foggy and why Neon had a sudden change of personality. Yukiko and Hiroshi were nowhere to be found either. He was pondering on the possibilities when he heard footsteps behind him. He quickly turned around, assuming a fighting stance against the shadow that appeared behind him. When his features came into a clear view, Joker's jaw dropped.

He was looking at his own face.

"Who the hell are you?" he demanded in a cold voice. He straightened up, eyes squinting, as if making sure that the person before him is not merely an illusion.

The other man who bore Joker's face bowed, "Konnichi-wa, Joker-san. I am Akamatsu Kanjiro, high officer of the Japanese Imperial Army."

A smile lifted the corner of Joker's lips, "I knew that face would be nothing less than aristocratic. You work for a government official?" he inquired, relaxing a little but keeping his guard up.

The other man nodded. When he spoke no further, Joker asked. "What are you doing here anyway?"

It was Kanjiro's time to smirk, "I have come to take possession of your body, Joker-san."

"What the....." And before Joker could do or say anything further, the image before him disappeared, absorbing himself into the latter's body. Joker felt as though his heart was being crushed, he couldn't breathe! He fell on his knees, gasping for air. Everything was becoming dark then, and he tried fighting a force he could not see nor understand. He fell, unconscious, with the soft earth cushioning his fall.

Joker opened his eyes, only to find himself in a dark place. A very dark place. He felt as though he was floating on air, and was not that surprised to find his feet off the ground. He could barely move a muscle, as though he was tangled in some kind of web. And as he struggled to free himself, he saw the same figure approaching him. Joker was enraged, but something was holding him back, and he couldn't fight back.

Kanjiro took a bow before speaking, "Gomen nasai, Joker-san. It is not my intention to harm you in any way."

Joker seethed, "We'll see who gets bodily harmed."

"Please, forgive me." Kanjiro apologized sincerely, "I need your help. Very badly."

"What for?"

A distant look was cast in Kanjiro's eyes. "Help me, Joker-san, to get the curse lifted off my soul." He looked straight at Joker's eyes, even if they had been hidden behind his bangs. Joker felt goosebumps staring into the other man's face. His eyes were clear and serious. There was somethng awfully unearthly about him.

"If you recall, the dream you had." Kanjiro began explaining, "The dream you had the first night you were here. The girl, the cliff." Joker nodded but said nothing. "She is Sakimoto Midori, owner of this house and the niece of the monk Issei. She is a well respected member of this community." he took a deep breath. "She's intelligent, charming, sweet, beautiful....and I love her very much. Too much."

"If you love her, why did you let her die?" Joker asked sarcastically.

A flash of anger appeared on Kanjiro's face, "Do you think I had wanted that?" the expression then changed to one of sorrow, "If I could turn back the hands of time, I would have stopped then and there. But that had been impossible....until now." his gaze shifted to Joker, "And so I ask for your help."

"As I've told you earlier, I am an officer of the Japanese Imperial Forces." he related, "At the age of 22 I had risen to the ranks faster than any other officer there was. I work hard and am very ambitious. Right now I hold the third highest position in the army of my Commander, known as the Oni. I am engaged to be married to a lovely young woman, my commander's daughter, Ayami. Then he sent me on this mission." Kanjiro sighed, recalling the events. "I was sent here to gather three madogus, psychic devices if you will, owned by the now extinct Hokage Clan. There are three of them in Midori and her uncle's keeping. I am tasked to retrieve them for my Master in exchange for the second position and Ayami's hand in marriage. I set out to carry this task without delay nor dilemma...that was until I met Midori."

Midori was not the plain, insipid girl Kanjiro had concived her to be. She was smart, beautiful and a wonderful companion to be with. A striking contrast to the woman he was to marry, Ayami, who was spoiled, proud and dull. He had been engaged to her only because he had had his way with her one night he had too much sake flooding his better judgment. Not that his commander had known, otherwise he would have had his head served on a platter. He had fallen for the enchanting Midori, and she had returned his love in full. But there had been a job he was to complete, and falling for the red-haired beauty was a big obstacle to overcome. By then he had to choose between his love for Issei's niece and his loyalty to his commanding officer.

He had chosen the former.

Joker thought it was rather silly for a smart, goal-oriented, levelheaded person such as Kanjiro Akamatsu to have his heart rule his head. If he had been in the young officer's shoes, he'd be sure to choose his military rank in favor of a pretty girl who came by the dozen.

"But you do not know Midori, not as much as I do anyway," Kanjiro spoke, reading Joker's thoughts. "Tell me, Joker-san, have you ever been in love? As in true, unselfish, unconditional love?"

Joker was about to open his mouth to answer when the other man spoke for him.

"It is apparent that you have not." he said, "So I understand that you do not, cannot comprehend the extent of my feelings for my Midori-chan. But someday you will," he smiled, "There will come a day when you meet a woman who will complement you, heart and soul. Someone who you feel you belong with, and whom you will want to spend the rest of your days with, regardless." he cast a meaningful look at the Uruha assassin, "Or do you think perhaps you have found her?"

"Neon-han and I are merely friends." he defensively replied. Kanjiro laughed.

"You're being defensive already, and I haven't even mentioned a word." he then continued with his story.

He had already chosen his path, to leave his army, his shogunate and live a simple life with the fair maiden. The day he had come to terms with this fact had become the day of reckoning. He was going to tell her everything and confess his undying affection. But then fate had taken a cruel twist.

His cover had been blown.

Midori had refused to listen to his explanations. She had been betrayed, and she had been hurt more than she was angry. That was the scene that had played in Joker's dreams, Midori escaping with the madugous and accusing Kanjiro of decieving her. Then Midori falls to her death, bringing with her the psychic devices that had been the subject of all the conflict. The madugous had never been found and they had speculated they had either been swept to sea or had been destroyed during the fall. A storm had followed that tragic scene, and Kanjiro was left weeping in the cold, his spirit crushed beyond repair at the loss of the woman he had truly loved. There had been nothing left for him to live for. He had wanted to die at that very moment too, so that he may join his beloved Midori...but then, she had perished not being able to forgive him. It had been that which kept his soul alive. He had waited for Midori's soul to come back and beg for her forgiveness.

Kanjiro was eventually forgiven by Issei and the rest of the community. He had not returned to his post at the Oni's army and he had been reported as killed in action. He spent the rest of his life serving the people of the island as their leader. He had not married, saying his heart had belonged only to Midori and that it would not be fair to the woman he would marry to be second fiddle. He spent his life longing for the day that Midori would come back whether in spirit form or in a reincarnated human form and plead for her to forgive him. He had died at the old age of a hundred not attaining this goal.

"Yukiko is my descendant." he explained. "Apparently, my tryst with Ayami had produced a child. A child who had never seen his traitorous father. Eventually, the Oni had died in battle, not attaining a single Hokage psychic device. Ayami abandoned our child and he was raised by monks. Later on he went in search of me and my whereabouts. By the time, I had been dying and I confessed my sins at my deathbed. My son, Toshiro, was a virtuous man, and he promised to carry on this mission of bridging the gap between Midori and I. So far, none of the attempts had been successful. Until now...."

"Where do I figure out in all of this?" Joker querried.

"Yukiko had cast a spell on you and your companion." Kanjiro said, "It takes you both back in time, to our time, when Midori and I meet. The death of Midori must be prevented."

"Why don't we prevent everything altogether?" Joker suggested, "Why don't you just refure to go to this island so you dont have to meet Midori and you can stay at the Army, get married to the big shot's duaghter and live happily ever after?"

"The spell may be powerful, but we cannot reverse everything. History cannot be severely altered." the other man replied, "Besides, I would never have wanted to not meet my Midori-chan. I would risk it all over and over again, just to be with her. She is worth all the pain and suffering." he added, starry-eyed. Joker shook his head. _No woman could be worth that much.....could it?_

"You must help me, Joker-san." requested Kanjiro. Midori and I need human bodies to carry out this event. So we had taken you and your girlfriend's body."

"Neon-han is not my girlfriend." Joker stated flatly, "Although I do suppose she wouldn't deny her feelings for me if you asked her." he smiled showing his fanged teeth. He could almost hear Neon protesting vehemently to his remark.

"Nevertheless," interrupted the spirit, "The only part we can reverse is the event prior to her death. This event will come very soon. You have to help me."

Joker's eyebrow rose, "And if I choose not to cooperate with this charade of yours?"

A dangerous glint appeared in Kanjiro's eye. "Then you will never have your body back until you do."   


**[TO BE CONTINUED][3]**

**[BACK TO THE FANFIC ARCHIVE][4]**

  


   [1]: mailto:bluhdy1@angelfire.com
   [2]: jokerneon.html
   [3]: jokerneon3.html
   [4]: fanfic.html



	3. Last Kiss

**ENCHANTED**

**May 26, 2000**

**Chapter 3**

**Last Kiss**

**by [Fuuko no Miko][1]**

**[CONTINUATION...][2]**

Errr...I know the subtitle sounds kinda crummy. But I like the way Pearl Jam did that song so much I just *had* to put it as the title ^_^. Yeah, I'm no PJ fan but the way they performed it was rather nice. So here goes the concluding chapter of this silly fanfic...

*******

Neon and Joker fell back as silent witnesses as the story of Akamatsu Kanjiro and Midori Sakimoto unfurled before their eyes. It struck a chord in her, as Neon saw how step by step, the two star-crossed souls were entrapped in a web of emotion that they had weaved. It was like watching a movie with her sitting at the back row and watching Midori's soul in her body fall for the disguised Japanese warrior.

She had been severely uncooperative upon learning this spell and its purpose, grudgingly agreeing only to have repossession of her physical form. But now she understood. Akamatsu Kanjiro _was_ worth it. He was tall, handsome and a gentleman in every sense of the word. He treated Midori like a queen. He was intelligent, sensitive, sweet...the kind of man you find only in romance novels and Nora Ephron movies. He was as close to perfection as he can get.

Except that he's a lying, scheming, spy...she added bitterly.

Or was he?

Neon realized that other than his true identity, he was sincere about everything to Midori. She could tell that he genuinely loved her. With all heart and soul, she smiled to herself. Neon sighed, releasing the hopeless romantic side of hers she had long thought dead. True romance isn't dead...at least not in the Middle Ages.

The only problem now was convincing Midori this truth. Neon had tried in vain to convince the girl to forgive the deceptive Kanjiro. Just to get her spirit out of me, she had first thought. But now she was more convinced that he did deserve forgiveness. Unfortunately Midori was as stubborn as she was, or much worse.

_I wonder if I was a reincarnation of her_, Neon rolled her eyes upward after having failed to convince the other girl for the infinith time. Which would have been fine with her, just as long as she didn't end up falling hopelessly in love with a Joker clone. _Ugh!_ The thought gave her goosebumps, but some part of her didn't dismiss the issue entirely. Maybe if her fellow Uruha was a little less arrogant, a little more afffectionate and a bit more sensitive. Maybe.

_This is bad. Very bad indeed. Neon having traces of affectionate inclinations towards Joker...I think I'm beginning to lose it_, Neon freaked out mentally. _Heavens have mercy_.

"Your friend has very strong willpower." Kanjiro told Joker with a smile. For the nth time, Midori had refused to be kissed by Kanjiro, and the latter knew it was due to Neon's obvious resistance.

"You call it willpower? I call it stubborness." Joker sighed exasperatedly. He couldn't count how many days its been since he's been here. Apparently forever, he thought. Everything had gone just as it had previously been in the past lifetime. He had been a silent witness to the love affair between the hunky Japanese officer and his voluptous vixen girlfriend. And despite himself, he felt rather....touched...with the way the things have been going. He comprehended now to some extent why Kanjiro had been hesitant to leave Midori. She *was* everything Kanjiro described her to be, and much more. Joker felt that if he had half the heart Kanjiro had, he'd probably fall for her too. Joker had met Ayami once when Kanjiro reported his progress to the Oni. His fiancee had come along with one of the spies the Oni had sent. Seeing her convinced Joker that Kanjiro was better off with the monk's niece.

"You had an affair with that....that...cow?" Joker asked disbelievingly, calling her a mammal for the lack of a better word.

"Remember, I was dead drunk." Kanjiro laughed.

Joker shook his head. "I wouldn't roll in the hay with her if I was comatose."

"You're too hard on her, Joker-san." the other man couldn't cease his laughter, "She's beautiful, don't you think?"

Joker shrugged. Sure she had looked a lot like a blonde Kagero in her youth but she had the etiquette of Mori Kouran. "Yeah, maybe. But her manners stink and God, who does she think she is anyway? You my friend, have very weird tastes."

"Now you know why I couldn't possibly leave my Midori." Kanjiro said thoughtfully.

It was that meeting that had paved the way for the tragic curse of one star-crossed couple. One of the villagers, a well-meaning Oduro, had overheard the conversation while gathering firewood. Hearing the term "Oni" and realizing the threat this had posed to the village, he had scurried to report to the monk Issei. They had vowed to keep this a secret, knowing it would hurt Midori, and decided that they should confront Kanjiro by themselves. This was not to be the case however, because Midori had found out herself.

"Midori, listen to me..."

"You lied to me." she accused quietly, as tears began streaming down her face.

"I was going to tell you...believe me. I was going to leave the Oni and live here, with you." Kanjiro explained.

"How many madogus have you picked up using that line, Kanjiro?" she spoke bitterly, staring darts at the man she had loved, "How many hearts have you torn apart?"

"None...none at all. You are my one, true love, Midori-chan..." he spoke sincerely.

They were standing in the living room of Midori's house. The same house where Neon and Joker had sought refuge from the storm. The same cursed household that bore wounds of the past, both physically and emotionally. Midori walked to her bedroom, and when she returned, she had three madougus in her possession. Both Neon and Joker had recognized one as the Fukyo Waon. The other two were half-concealed in cloth.

"This is what you want, is it not?" she asked seriously, her eyes meeting those that hid behind the dark hair.

"No." he replied honestly."Its you I want. Not those madogus. To hell with them."

A smile lifted the corner of Midori's mouth, "Then to hell they shall be." she spoke meaningfully, and with that she broke into a sprint, exiting the door and heading off to the cliffside.

"Midori, wait!!!!" Kanjiro screamed, running after her.

"Somehow that wasn't a very wise thing to say." Joker commented sarcastically, while Kanjiro ignored him. He ran lightning fast to where Midori was headed off to.

The Cursed Cliffs, as they have been called. For many a suicide or murder had been carried out in such a horrid place. A rugged mountain side that rose a hundred feet over the angry seawaters. Sharp rocks greeted the misfortuned soul who had chosen to end their life there. No one had ever had such luck as to survive a plunge in the watery depths. For even if they escape the daggered edges, they could not survive the raging waters. And as Midori approached her would-be grave, she paused to look, a last one, at the man who had caused her such an unfathomable pain.

"Don't be stupid, Midori." Neon called to the shattered girl. "Can't you see? He loves you. He really does"

"How would you know?" Midori asked the female Uruha.

"Look, I'm not exactly Dear Abby. But it's clear as mineral water how he feels about you, and you of him. I know that you know. So why not accept it, forget your pride and take him back?"

"He doesn't want me. He wants the Hokage weapons." she reasoned.

"If he wanted the Hokage weapons, he'd have gotten them ages ago! It's been what, a couple of weeks since you've met? He gained your trust as early as day 1. And your bedroom isn't exactly a very hard place to look for those weapons. If he wanted them, he'd have gotten them easier. A sly fox like him wouldn't take too long to find the madougus and hightail it out of here. But he didn't. He stayed, and that's because he wants to be with you. And when he tells you so, believe him." Neon spoke this with fingers crossed behind her back.

"I..." Midori bowed her head. More tears fell down her cheeks. Oh but Neon had a point, and God she had wanted to believe everything this woman was saying. If only she could tell if Kanjiro speaks the truth. But how? After being lied to, she found it hard to believe anything he might say.

"Look into his eyes..." Neon now spoke softly. _If you can find them_, _that is_, she mentally added, seeing how well hidden half Kanjiro's face was. "It's been said that the eyes are the windows to one's soul. Unless he's such a consummate actor, you'll find out the truth in them."

"Midoriii!" he called out to her. Midori turned her head.

"Don't get too close too soon." Joker advised, "Slow down a little, you're going to scare her off."

They stood several meters from one another. Still. The storm clouds have arrived, looking ominous with their near-black hue. The winds have begun to whirl angrily, sending the rainclouds closer. From the distance, thunder boomed loudly, lightning crossed the sky in a crackle. A storm was brewing, and it wasn't just the weather.

"Stay away from me!" she screamed at him. "Leave me alone! You will not have them!"

The scene was becoming all-too-familiar, as it replayed perpetually in Joker's nightmares. The harsh exchange of words, the hostility, the hurt....sooner or later it was going to be a tragedy all over again. Not unless he could stop it. But how? He doesn't know what inner battle his fellow Uruha is waging against the reincarnated girl. Neon couldn't possibly be encouraging Midori to be an ornery donkey could she? No. Neon wanted out of this as much as he did. He wished he could speak to her now so they can do something to prevent this curse.

How?

Neon was anxious. She could not convince Midori to give in to the pleadings of one Kanjiro. She was just too blinded by her wounded emotion. There must be something I can do, she thought frantically, anything. God she wished she could have any communication of sorts to Joker, so they could plan something. Anything that might stop this insanity. Another flash of lightning struck, illuminating Kanjiro's sodden figure. Neon noticed something she has not noted a while ago.

Joker, use your madougu, she cried silently, trying to send a mental message to her fellow Uruha, as she had no control over her physical being. The lightning had cast a glow on the Taishaku Kaiten, which was strapped to Kanjiro's back. When and how it got there, she couldn't figure out, but it was there and its what they had needed. Neon, with all her mental power, tried moving her possessed body's right hand to signal Joker.

What was that? Joker thought, as he looked at Midori in the body of Neon-han. Her hand had been giving out a signal...was she writing? Kanji...it was like kanji...madogou...madougu...it signalled...and Joker remembered the madugou strapped to Kanjiro's back...his back actually, concealed by a cape. The Taishaku Kaiten, of course! He had been carrying it all morning, refusing to leave it under the bed where Kanjiro insisted on keeping it (But of course the latter had not known it was a Hokage weapon, thinking it was merely a pitchfork for fightng).

"Goodbye, Officer Akamatsu."

The three dreaded words had been spoken, as if giving the command for her death. Lightning struck, and just as it was about to touch the ground, Joker had seized control over his own body and threw the Taishaku Kaiten towards Midori. A look of shock registered on the young girl's face as she saw the alien weapon flying fast towards her. She moved her head, and the dreaded weapon hit her left arm that had held the madogus. This had sent all three psychic devices flying, one of them geting hit by the approaching lightning.

"The madougu..." Neon watched in awe as one of the three Hokage weapons absorbed the thousand-volt electricity into its crystal. Joker was just as stunned. Then as quick as it had been struck, the madougu and its two other companions fell haplessly to the violent waters beneath.

Neon found herself nailed to the ground, her left arm trapped in between the fork of the Taishaku Kaiten. She had overcome the shock as quickly as it came. She breathed a sigh of relief. Joker's madugou had saved them...Midori from falling to the cliff, Kanjiro from his despair, an entire generation of Akamatsu from a curse and the two of them from being stuck in this blasted island. She however noted that Midori was still in her body. Did that mean the curse still wasn't broken?

"Midori...." Kanjiro rushed to his beloved's side, and before she could do anything, he had taken her in his arms and kissed her.

Oh, hell....Neon groaned inwardly. Even if it had been Midori in that body, she could feel every sensation happening to her now. This was what she had been trying to avoid the past afterlife. And she had suceeded so far in preventing Kanjiro getting this intimate with Midori, for even if it would be Midori kissing Kanjiro, technically, it was her body!

Joker was kissing her!

"Midori, my beautiful Midori...." Kanjiro murmured softly under his breath as he withdrew from his kiss. He looked lovingly into her eyes, and for the first time since she had known him, Neon was able to see what Joker's eyes looked like.

They were amber-colored, almost gold, with tiny flecks of hazel playfully spread around the pupils. They have a mischievous glint in them, so much like the man who owned them. They bored into her own eyes as if dissecting her inner being, reading her mind, interpreting her emotions.

Neon swallowed. She felt her heart thumping erratically in her chest. This wasn't what she had in mind, but heck if it breaks the curse and gets them out of this wretched island, then so be it.

"The madugous...." Midori spoke, she got up slowly as Kanjiro pulled out the Taishaku Kaiten from the ground and freed her.

"Never mind the madugous." Kanjiro said. He cupped her face in his hands, again meeting her stare with his. "Don't you realize, Midori-chan? It is only you that I truly want. I don't care about the madougus. I don't give a damn about the Oni, and Ayami does not interest me any more."

Midori's heart warmed over as she felt the sincerity of his words. Tears again found their way into her eyes, but these ones were that of joy. She embraced her beloved happily while he carried her off in his arms, taking her back to her house. The rain had begun to fall then, and Kanjiro rushed to the house to prevent them from being drenched.

"Midori," Neon asked the elated young woman, "What were those two other madougus? I recognized the third to be my Fukyo Waon."

Midori replied, "The fuujin and the raijin."

Kanjiro brought her to the bedroom Neon had recognized as the one she had slept in when she had first come to this island. He put her down on the bed.

"You better change, Midori-chan." he said, taking a step back. "You might catch a cold." He proceeded to push the door panel when Midori called him.

"Kanjiro...."

He turned around. Midori stood up and walked towards him, slowly. She stopped immediately in front of him, her eyes glowing with the warmth of her undying love for him. "Kanjiro....forgive me...."

She raised a hand to his damp cheek, touching it. Kanjiro held her hand, "No, forgive me. I did not mean to cause you pain. I had intended to tell you about this deception but Oduro had gotten ahead of me."

She nodded, "I understand now." She stood on tiptoe and whispered to his ear, "I love you, Kanjiro."

"I love you too, Midori-chan."

Midori put her arms around Kanjiro's neck and pulled him closer. The moment their faces came within the shortest distance, she gently pressed her lips to his. She kissed him longingly, and he returned it with just as much passion.

_Oh God_, Neon thought. She tried controlling the other spirit who was lurking in her body but she could not. Midori had apparently overpowered her. Now she finds herself in the arms of her fellow Uruha. It wouldn't have mattered if only Midori was the one experiencing the sensation, but it wasn't the case. Everythig Midori felt, she could feel too, even if only physically.

Neon felt warm all over despite the fact that her clothes were damp from the rain. Her head began to swim and her knees began to buckle. Only Kanjiro's tight embrace prevented her from falling. She could feel the tenderness coming from him. The incredible thrill she felt electrified her from her head down to her toes.

She found herself lying on the bed, his gentle lips now traced a path from her mouth down to her neck, moving lateral to her exposed shoulder and planting a kiss with every trail. She put her arms around him, following the contour of his fine, muscled body. She could feel his fingers entangling themselves in her hair. Neon pressed her body closer to him, enjoying the warmth his closeness provided.

His other hand then found itself on the belt of her red kimono, tugging it gently to loosen it. She did the same, parting open the upper part of his wardrobe to expose his strong chest. His lips found its way back to her own, kissing with slightly more passion than when he first laid his mouth on hers. It expressed a want to be closer, of an unfulfilled longing, of a kindling desire. And Neon could not help voicing it out.

"Joker...."

"Neon-han...."

It was as if ice-cold water was splashed on them.

"What did you say?" they spoke in unison.

They parted as quickly as two magnets of similar poles. Joker jumped out of the bed and turned his face to the wall while Neon quickly retied the belt of her kimono and turned her back to him. Neither of them knew it but they had both turned red down to the roots of their hair. A very awkward silence followed, interrupted only by the distant sound of a thunderclap and the heavy pelting of the rain on the rooftop.

"W-weren't you supposed to say Kanjiro???" Joker stammered in a tone so unfamiliar of him.

"Well, weren't you supposed to say Midori?" Neon fired back in a less-assured manner.

"Breakfast is ready." Hiroshi called happily through the slightly open door. She didn't seem to notice that their two guests were a little bit uncomfortable, both catching their breaths with their hair and clothes dishevelled.

"Coming." they replied in unison, still not looking at each other.

Yukiko-sama looked liked the cat that got the canary at the breakfast table. Hiroshi was her quiet self. The two Uruha Assassins, even if they sat across one another were looking at everything but each other, evading any glances that might throw at one another.

"I apologize...." Yukiko spoke first. Their two guests looked at her at the same time. "I'm sorry I had to put a spell on you kids." She bowed her elderly head, "But it was the only way I could put an end to the curse that has plagued my family for so long. There has been nothing but bad luck since the day Midori-san died. Hopefully, now her soul and that of my great ancestor can rest in peace."

"It's alright, Yukiko-sama." Neon said, "I...we...were glad to be of help. No harm done." she put a stress to her last sentence, causing Joker to steal a glance at her. "It's the least we can do for giving us some shelter."

Yukiko smiled widely, "I know." she turned to Hiroshi, "See Hiroshi, even members of the Uruha Jyushinshuu can show a little kindness every once in a while."

Neon and Joker's heads snapped upon hearing the old woman's words, "You know us?"

"Of course." Yukiko laughed. "What don't I know? I am Yukiko Akamatsu, spellbinder, fortune teller, witch doctor. However you may call it. Genjuroh is a distant cousin of mine. Very distant though. I haven't seen him in twenty years, that old geezer."

Joker and Neon turned pale at her remark. Surely she wouldn't tell Genjuroh what happened, would she?

"I am not a kiss-and-tell person, if that's what you're worried about." she spoke as if reading their minds, sipping her sakura tea. "I suppose it will be alright for you to travel now. The sun is shining and the land has begun to dry."

Still not speaking to each other after breakfast, Neon and Joker went out unto the porch. Indeed the sun had been burning brightly in a cloudless sky. For some reason, the storm a while ago had disappeared just in a blink of an eye. An uneasy silence ruled over them. They stood side by side, unmoving, as if waiting for a cue from the other.

"Quite a spell wasn't it?" Joker spoke first. His usual smug tone of speaking curiously absent.

"Very...strange." Neon echoed. "I wonder how long it's been...how long we've been here."

Joker shrugged, "It felt like we've been here for weeks...or so. Kurei-sama probably thinks we're dead."

"No...I feel he sent out a search party to look for us." Neon returned.

"Actually you've only been here 24 hours," Hiroshi piped up in a cheery voice, interrupting their conversation. They looked at here disbelievingly. "Gomen nasai, for my interruption. But grandmother told me to reassure you."

"Twenty-four hours?" questioned Joker.

"Yes, Joker-sama." Hiroshi assured, "Grandmother sent you back in time, but stopped time here. So even if you did spend a few weeks there, you only spent a couple of hours in the real world."

"Interesting," Neon said, turning to Joker. "You think perhaps we can borrow the spell so we can go back in time?"

A naughty smile appeared on Joker's lips, "Why so, Neon-han? You want to repeat our little uhhmmm...fling?"

"That's not what I meant!" Neon snarled, her veins popping.

"Ooooh...peeved I see...is it because we were so rudely interrupted?" Joker chided.

"Such is not the case." Neon sneered. She snubbed her fellow Uruha, "If I didn't know you better, you knew Midori had already left my body during that little 'play.' You just went on carrying that Kanjiro charade because you knew you had a snowball's chance in hell of ever doing it to me in my unpossessed state."

"Look at the pot calling the kettle black." he countered, sporting that all-too-typical smug look on his face, "You're the one who knew I was already back to my senses when you started kissing me. And besides," he gloated, "You're the one who first called out 'Oh Joker-han' like a spell."

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Ohaiyo, are you two alright?" called the old woman from the house. She was carrying a lunch pack in her hands as she appraoched the two. "Here, I thought you might get hungry for your trip." The two Uruhas were still glaring at each other like children who fought over the last piece of Oreo.

"Domo arigatou, Yukiko-sama." Neon accepted the lunch pack from the old lady.

"Well, have a safe trip, children." Yukiko smiled as the two prepared to depart. She laughed as the two began bickering again after saying their goodbyes. She shook her head, laughing at the two Uruha assassins who were acting anything but. She smiled as she realized the success of her mission to ward off the curse of the Akamatsu clan. It had not been easy luring the two assassins to this island, and creating that storm to trap them here took the wind out of her. But it was all worth the effort. Kanjiro was happy. Midori was happy. She can finally rest knowing she had cast off the bad luck that had loomed upon them for the past 400 years.

"Grandmother," Hiroshi asked, "When did the spirits of Kanjiro-sama and Midori-sama leave their bodies?"

"Why, as far as I know, they've set themselves free immediately after the said their 'i love yous'." she said, "Whatever happened afterwards is the result of their own, errr......longing."

As if on cue, Neon turned about and looked at the old woman and the little girl who stood innocently at the front porch. "Can I ask you something, Yukiko-sama?" she inquired.

"Why ofcourse, Neon-san. What is it?"

Neon thought for a second before voicing out her curiosity, "I was wondering. You've been here for ages...and I don't think we're the first male-female to get stranded in this island. How come the spell didn't work back then?"

A smile found its way to the old lady's lips, "You are correct in assuming that there have already been a fair number of males and females who have been trapped here. But there is an essential ingredient for that spell that I found in none of the other people who were stranded in this island, except for you two."

"And...what would that be?" Joker questioned.

"Mutual attraction."

The two Uruhas felt a crimson tide flooding their cheeks. And for a second time they turned about, refusing to look the other way as if a little secret would be revealed if they so much as looked into each others' eyes.

"Oi! There you are!"

The cheery, purple haired Uruha ninja popped out of the bushes sporting a smile on his face. "Thank heavens I found you. Kurei-sama thought you might've eloped."

"Don't be ridiculous, Raiha!" Neon snapped in a slightly overreactive tone. "I wouldn't elope with this punk if you paid me."

"I'd rather be with Noroi." Joker stated defensively."For all that funny smell he has."

Raiha sweatdropped, "Geez, I was just kidding. No need to take it seriously." he noted that the two of them appeared as if they didn't spent a night in the jungle. "Where did you two stay all this time?"

"In the house there." they turned to point at the enchanted little antique house behind them only to be taken aback. The lot behind them was empty, save for old abandoned remnants of _what used to be a house_. They shot each other a puzzled look, though the confusion was most evident on Raiha's face.

"Errr...are you two okay?" he asked tentatively. _They must've eaten something wrong_, he thought. _Either that or they didn't get enough sleep. _He had been to this area a number of times already and he had *never* recalled having seen anything in that spot other than the ruins of an old-style Japanese house.

An hour later, they were on the same boat they came in, only this time, Raiha was in charge of the wheel. He had tugged along the smaller boat he had brought in to look for them. He didn't have a hard time looking as he saw the S.S. Kurenai docked along the shoreline. Finding them wasn't that difficult either, as he was able to trace the path the Fukyo Waon had blown.

"You two are unusually quiet today," he noted, viewing his friends through the rearview mirror. Although the sat together, there seemed to be an invisible barrier between them neither one would breech. He had a sneaking suspicion that *something* had happened to them while at the island. But he wasn't the nosy type so he didn't open up the topic.

"I wont tell if you wont." Neon muttered under her breath.

"Uhhhmmm...I'll think about it." Joker kidded, "Wouldn't it be nice to know though..." he turned to Neon, smiling, revealing his fanged teeth, "I didn't know you were attracted to me Neon-han."

"Please..." Neon rolled her eyes upward, "Do you seriously believe all that old hag was saying?" It was her turn to look smug, "Though I wouldn't be surprised if you are attracted to me. You know you'll never find another one quite like me within an earth's radius."

"Don't flatter yourself Neon-han." he gloated, "I can't blame you for finding me irresistable."

Raiha smiled as he heard the two bantering, obviously reverting to their normal selves. Much as he was extremely curious on what happened to them on that lonely island, he chose to keep quiet. Knowing them like they do, they'll probably brag all about it when the time is right. Heck, it even may be sooner than he would hope for. Mysterious things have been reported to happen on the isolated place. Stories hundreds of years old about a cursed couple and their tragic love story. They say that whoever gets enchanted by this spell gets to relive the days of romance of one officer of the Japanese army and a lovely village girl.

_I wonder_, Raiha thought.

He drove the boat homeward bound with thougths of asking Fuuko on a date on the desolate beach.

**~~~~~OWARI~~~~~**

**May 26, 2000**

**1:08 PM**

**This would serve as a sort of prologue to my next fic, something about the madougus. If you still want ot read anything I've written, that is *_*.**

**To send Recca's eight dragons or Kurei's phoenix running after me, [click here][1].**

**[BACK TO THE FANFIC SECTION][3]**

   [1]: mailto:bluhdy1@angelfire.com
   [2]: jokerneon2.html
   [3]: fanfic.html



End file.
